Breast asymmetry predicts breast cancer

Women who go on to develop breast cancer tend to have breasts that are less symmetrical than women who don't develop the cancer. A study published today in Breast Cancer Research reveals that breast asymmetry could be a reliable independent predictor of breast cancer. The study found that the relative odds of developing breast cancer increased by 1.5 with each 100ml increase in breast asymmetry.

Diane Scutt from the University of Liverpool, UK and colleagues studied the mammograms of 252 women who did not have breast cancer at the time of the mammography, but later on developed the disease. The control group consisted of 252 women matched for age who underwent mammography at the same time, but did not develop breast cancer.

Scutt et al.'s results show that, at the time the mammography was done, women who went on to develop breast cancer had higher breast volume asymmetry than controls. The authors found that the relative odds of breast cancer increased by 1.5 for a 100ml increase in absolute breast volume asymmetry, after adjusting for other potential risk factors. They conclude that breast asymmetry is a significant independent predictor of breast cancer, and could be a reliable indicator of future breast disease.